Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband Mark were shot and killed and state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife were wounded in separate attacks at their homes outside Minneapolis early Saturday in a shocking act of political violence that rattled lawmakers across the nation.
A manhunt is underway for a suspect who is said to have impersonated a law enforcement official. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley told reporters that a man appearing to be a police officer fired at officers when they approached Hortman’s home.
Officials said they had recovered what they described as a “manifesto” that mentioned Hortman, Hoffman and other political leaders. Bruley said other leaders on the list were alerted and provided with added security.
Hoffman and his wife Yvette were out of surgery by midmorning and expected to survive.
Minnesota political leaders reacted with horror to the attacks, carried out just days after lawmakers finished work on the state budget.
“We’re here today because an unspeakable tragedy has unfolded in Minnesota. My good friend and colleague Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were shot and killed earlier this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination,” Gov. Tim Walz (D) said at a press conference.
“My heart is broken over the events that unfolded overnight and the loss of life, security and peace that we are all feeling right now,” Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson (R) said in a statement. “Senate Republicans are unified in our condemnation of this brazen act of violence.”
The White House said President Trump had been briefed, and that the FBI would investigate.
The attack came just hours before planned public protests against the Trump administration across the nation. The Minnesota State Patrol cited the shootings in urging people to stay away from the No Kings demonstrations, publishing a photo of what they said were No Kings papers inside a car used by the suspect.
Hortman had served in the legislature since 2005, including as House speaker for six years until 2025, when she became minority leader. Hoffman won election to the legislature in 2012, after serving as a local school board member.